Vilalta Studio

Woldyia Maternity Center

Woldyia Maternity Center
© Gonzalo Guajardo

WOLDYIA MATERNITY CENTER

Vilalta Studio

CATEGORY
Weldiya, Ethiopia

LOCATION
Weldiya, Ethiopia

ARCHITECTS
Vilalta Studio

AREA
800

YEAR
2017

PHOTOGRAPHS
Gonzalo Guajardo

DIRECTOR ARCHITECT
Xavier Vilalta

DESIGN TEAM
Luiza Kostecka, Anna Kyskova

PROJECT MANAGER
Maria Rosaria Favoino

CLIENT
IPI Cooperación

Woldyia Maternity Center
© Gonzalo Guajardo
Woldyia Maternity Center
© Gonzalo Guajardo

Text description provided by architect.

The project is located at the entrance of the hospital compound in the city of Woldya, in the north east of Ethiopia.

Woldyia Maternity Center
© Gonzalo Guajardo
Woldyia Maternity Center
© Gonzalo Guajardo

A key decision of the project was to divide it into two areas that share the same entrance space: the functional maternity unit and the mothers’ waiting area, a new program born as a result of the sociological analysis of the site.

Woldyia Maternity Center
© Gonzalo Guajardo
Woldyia Maternity Center
© Gonzalo Guajardo

This is a space where future mothers coming from rural areas can live in an environment where they can feel comfortable two weeks before they give birth.

Woldyia Maternity Center
© Gonzalo Guajardo
Woldyia Maternity Center
© Gonzalo Guajardo

The first one, the functional and operational medical space, is composed of three rectangular volumes that are connected by a central corridor.

The three volumes compose the different areas of the maternity unit: Reception, Patient, and Operation areas.

Woldyia Maternity Center
© Gonzalo Guajardo
Woldyia Maternity Center
© Gonzalo Guajardo

These are separated from each other to bring light inside the main corridor. The design of the façade includes cultural references on the window grills that are shaped using a traditional Ethiopian pattern.

The open air reception takes advantage of the outdoor space and climate and aims to integrate the community into the building.

Woldyia Maternity Center
© Gonzalo Guajardo
Woldyia Maternity Center
© Gonzalo Guajardo

The second one, the mother’s waiting area, is inspired by the tukuls, the traditional Ethiopian huts and it is composed by circular volumes organized by a similar pattern.

Woldyia Maternity Center
© Gonzalo Guajardo
Woldyia Maternity Center
© Gonzalo Guajardo

Like a big house for new mothers, it has a day area composed by an open air living room with a kitchen and a night area with five bedrooms and toilets.

Woldyia Maternity Center
© Gonzalo Guajardo
Woldyia Maternity Center
© Gonzalo Guajardo

All the interior spaces of the maternity ward have natural ventilation and illumination.

For the construction, we used a lightweight concrete prefab system for the hospital unit combined with pine wood on the facade and steel structure with bamboo for the mothers’ homes.

Woldyia Maternity Center
© Gonzalo Guajardo


Woldyia Maternity Center
3D Axonometric
Woldyia Maternity Center
Elevation


Woldyia Maternity Center
Site Plan
Woldyia Maternity Center
Floor Plan

Vilalta Studio
T +34 931 702764 F +34 931 657314
Vilalta Studio
Carrer de Jaume Brossa, 41, Sant Martí, 08020 Barcelona, Spain